Notting Hill Carnival: The sound of summer - we talk to the sound system veterans

“It’s worth it for us because we’re known as one of the best around and get sponsorship from Red Bull,“ Roberts says. “But some of the sound systems don’t get any funding from arts councils or government to put on a showcase.

“It can cost up to £20,000 for a system, plus all the work that goes into it. Many have to find those funds themselves.“ Still, he says, on the day, it all becomes worth it.

“The crowds are great fun. They just go to have a good time. We play right across the board – everything from James Brown to Beyonce – so it’s a very mixed crowd and one that know how to really enjoy themselves … and they do.“

If all that’s not an invitation to get yourself out in the streets of London this weekend, then perhaps your life needs examination; perhaps the roaring fire that once fuelled your sense of fun has been reduced to a smouldering pile of embers.

But if, like K Tel, Franklin and Roberts, something about the sight and sound of open-minded and open-hearted individuals getting lost on a musical journey excites you, you’re in the right spot.

Notting Hill Carnival will take you places. One million party people can’t wrong.